ABSTRACT
Significant advances have been made in imaging technologies such as computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, single photon emission computed tomography, positron emission tomography (PET), and ultrasound. This chapter describes basic concept of reporter gene imaging, different reporter gene imaging modalities, and PET reporter genes and reporter probes. Direct molecular imaging involves direct probetarget interaction. Indirect molecular imaging using reporter genes have only been recently validated. Number of different optical imaging approaches have been described recently. These techniques include bioluminescence imaging, intravital microscopy of green fluorescence protein, and near-infrared fluorescence. For cardiac studies, there needs to be a concerted effort to educate current cardiovascular investigators to be aware of the potentials of molecular imaging for analyzing gene transfer, cell survival, endogenous transcriptional regulation, transgenic animal phenotypes, and drug discovery. One of the goals of cardiac reporter gene imaging is to help guide cardiac gene therapy
